The Taiping Mountain in the southwest corner of the city of Birti is actually a small footnote to the magnificent mountain range on the western side of the Bodi continent. It was so inconspicuous that it didn't even know who it belonged to, and both the Duchy of Kentan and the Destinie were able to stand up and claim to be the masters there.

The so-called old mansion of the Count of Destiny is located halfway up the hill there. The history of this house is actually not very long, and it may have been built by the old earl's grandfather. Princess Claudia's father may be incompetent, but her great-grandfather was a truly capable man. Although the earl's title is a little shorter than that of the duke, the princess's great-grandfather worked hard to take advantage of the internal chaos in Kentan to take root in this land. The so-called mountain is opened by me, this tree is planted by me, once it takes root and sprouts, it is the best evidence of owning this place, which is much more useful than shouting slogans and pulling banners.

The earthquake that struck Birti City was felt even in Taiping Mountain. The princess's father once said that relatives and servants still lived in the old mansion. He wasn't lying, but those people were struck by something more terrible than an earthquake.

In front of everyone at the Birthi Church, the elven forester Krees revealed a surprising possibility, that is, the earthquake was not a natural disaster but a man-made disaster, and it was likely that the group of lost people in the elven clan were responsible. He had thought that Kentan was the responsibility for the matter, but when Tarren Crawford said that he could not rule out the possibility of a third party joining in, the group of lost people immediately jumped in Krees's mind. The strange things that have happened in the Danse Forest recently, the elves from top to bottom suspect that this group of traitors is responsible. The werewolf who had been in harmony with him went crazy overnight and became a bloodthirsty monster, and the old oak tree, which was originally tall, suddenly withered, and the trunk became bent. These visions reminded the elves that the Lost must be brewing some big move to take revenge on their fellow citizens on the ground. The world war between the dwarves and the elves of that year gave rise to the habit of contempt between the two races to this day. The subsequent civil war of the elves directly led to the division of the elves into two hostile forces. When the Lost go underground, not only do they become very vicious, but their appearance is so alienated that it is impossible to believe that they and the elves that inhabit the Danse Forest were once brothers.

When Albert and Claudia went out to find the whereabouts of the Count, the military advisor Tarun was not idle, and he and his brother Henry hurried out of the city to reorganize and count the soldiers and horses outside the city, but fortunately there were almost no losses, only a very small number of people had minor skin injuries.

When Albert asked about the next countermeasures, Tarun said decisively: "Your Highness, we should send a capable and capable person to immediately go to Mandunkou to investigate the truth and see if it is possible to take this opportunity to take down the opponent." ”

Xiao Ah Shen thought so, so he asked who was more convenient.

Tarun laughed, "Only that elf Kreis can do this." He has had an experience and is relatively strong in his means, so he is the best candidate. ”

"Now that the old earl is dead, what should we do with the next heir?" said Albert, who deliberately did not say anything about Claudia, for he felt a tangle in his heart.

Tarun looked into Xiao A's eyes, and still smiled: "Your Highness, do you mean the countess? She is the favorite of the people in Birti City, and it is only fitting for her to sit in this seat." We just have to do what we have to do. ”

Albert didn't quite understand what the military advisor meant, and was silent for a while.

"Your Highness, the countess is strong, this is something that outsiders can see. But after all, she is only a daughter, and with her sitting in her seat, it is actually more convenient for us to act. ”

Albert shook his head hard, rubbed his eyes with his hands, as if he wanted to erase something, he calmed down, changed his tone and said: "If there is really a third party to mix, what should we do?

Tarun didn't immediately rush to answer head-on this time, but paced a few steps and cleared his throat, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he had a premonition of the trickiness of the matter: "If it is really as Krees said, then it is not something that our Duchy of Borot can deal with, I am afraid that the cooperation of the entire Tamborance Empire will be required." ”

Albert felt that the military advisor was making a bit of a fuss: "Their ancestors were on the side that was defeated in the Elven Civil War, and although they retreated underground and took some dwarven dwellings, they have not recaptured the Danse Forest for thousands of years, nor have they heard of anything else. If it weren't for Krees's mention, we humans would have never heard of it at all. What's more, this is just Krees's family opinion, and it can only be used as a reference. If these people can really easily launch an earthquake, then let alone the Tamborance Empire, even if the northern Deseth people are added, they may not be able to parry. ”

"The so-called not afraid of 10,000 is afraid of what happens, everything must have a foresight, not to mention that Chris is not a man of his mouth. The power of the Lost deserves our vigilance. ”

"Strategist, I think the Taiping Mountain mentioned by the merchant is worth exploring. This will not only help to find out the source of the cold crystal, but also help in the attack on Kentan. After all, they seem to have a lot of powerful people over there. Without the bonds of Princess Claudia, Albert devoted himself to the kingdom of Kegan and Kentan, and he was still haunted by the dwarf's wounds.

Tarun understood in his heart, and he also felt that it might be helpful to go to Taiping Mountain to investigate: "Your Highness, we asked Krees to check the reality of Mangdunkou, so who do you decide to send here in Taiping Mountain?"

In fact, Crawford already knew in his heart that Xiao A would definitely want to go in person, but he didn't break it, but pretended to ask for advice.

Albert immediately volunteered to come and check it out. Tarun said with a smile: "Then I will sit in the city of Birti, and if there is an opportunity to take advantage of the Mangdun Pass, I will immediately send troops to take it." His Royal Highness can visit Taiping Mountain with peace of mind. ”

So, Xiao Ah took Best and a few of his personal guards into battle lightly, rode out of the city on a fast horse, and went all the way to Taiping Mountain.

The mountains there were gentle, and before leaving, Albert showed the princess a map and asked him in detail about the situation. Claudia, now the Countess of Destiny, was more ambitious than ever because she had made up her mind to be independent, and she and Albert had no personal affairs with them, and when she asked her true intentions to go to the Mt. Taiping, she gladly told her all she knew.

For the sake of Kegun's affairs, Best has long been holding back the fire in his heart. Since he came to Albert's tent, he has hardly exerted any strength, eating and drinking for nothing, and has become a wine bag and rice bag. People are dignified, even the thief Best is no exception. He used to complain that his life was miserable and he could only steal, but now he still complains about his miserable life, but the situation is very different. He couldn't go into battle like the dwarf Kagegan, he couldn't use a lot of magic like Kreese, and he couldn't give advice like the Cromford brothers, he felt like he couldn't do anything.

It was precisely because Albert saw the guilt in his heart that he specially wanted to piggyback on him. I don't expect him to do anything special, I just hope to bring him a sense of self-confidence and fulfillment.

Best, as an old fritter who has been crawling on the rivers and lakes for more than ten years, carefully put forward his own views after His Highness went out of the city, he was a little uneasy about the Crawford brothers, after all, His Highness was lightly armed and simple, and the power fell into the hands of others, although Tarun was good to Best himself, but he was business-like, he still bluntly said to His Highness: "Cold spar is certainly a clue, but this trip is not without risk, Talen is far-reaching...... resourceful"

"What are you trying to say?" said Albert, shaking his head, "the Crawford brothers, I personally invited them, and they are conscientious and meticulous, how can you have such suspicions about them?"

When Best heard this, he hurriedly dismounted and knelt down to ask for atonement.

Albert also jumped down and helped him up himself, saying, "You, the Crawford brothers, and the Crawford brothers are my dearest, most beloved, and most defenseless people. Although it is often said that you must not have the heart to harm others, and you must have the heart to prevent others, but now I can be regarded as leaving my hometown and abandoning my homeland. Wouldn't it be a sorrow if there really wasn't anyone around me who could trust me to entrust me? If I had to take the trouble to look at everything and everyone, I would probably die of overwork in a few days. ”

Several personal guards on the side also laughed kindly, not only to relieve Best's embarrassment, but also to admire Xiao A's wisdom and detachment from the bottom of their hearts.

The old earl's family mansion was not large, and Claudia specially instructed Albert to go up the mountain to pay a visit, and bring her own greetings by the way. The terrain of Taiping Mountain is not high, very flat, and the horses under the seat of Xiao A and others run very briskly, although they have traveled more than 100 miles from Birti City to here, but they do not show the slightest sense of sleepiness.

Best's eyesight was excellent, and he could see many dark shadows moving halfway up the mountain. He carefully identified it again and again, and hurriedly said to Albert: "Your Highness, look, there are people on the mountain, and there are quite a few!"

"This is the old Count of Destiny's house, and although it is not deserted, it should not be so lively. Albert said with a puzzled look on his face, and he had been reminded that he had noticed the anomaly.

For the sake of prudence, several people decided to hide in the dark to observe first, and Best was still the first to point out: "Why are these people pointy-eared, are they from the elves? What are they doing here?"

While Albert and the others were hesitating, the group of mysterious people halfway up the mountain seemed to have received some special signal, and their originally neat line suddenly became chaotic.

An unusually tall figure emerged from the back of the group, neither human nor elven, and its body was pitch black, as if it were covered in ink.

Albert couldn't help but exclaim, "What is this!"

Find out what happens next, and listen to the next breakdown.